索尼为何看好虚拟现实技术

索尼电脑娱乐公司正在为2016年发布虚拟现实头盔PlayStation VR做最后的冲刺。该公司试图让尽可能多的人率先体验这款设备。PlayStation VR是索尼的第一款虚拟现实产品，该公司正在为这款设备开发超过50款游戏。

最近在旧金山举办的PlayStation Experience体验活动上，索尼提供了其中49款原型游戏，让玩家提前体验《RIGS：机械化战斗联盟》（Rigs: Mechanized Combat League）、《战争地带》（Battlezone）和《Harmonix Music VR》等即将上市的作品。

索尼电脑娱乐全球工作室总裁吉田修平十分看好虚拟现实技术。他认为这一领域蕴含着无穷的机遇，只要消费者们愿意亲身尝试。在索尼公司将PS VR推介给全球超过3000万PlayStation 4玩家的过程中，试用将扮演一种非常重要的角色。不过，虚拟现实不仅仅是一项面向游戏领域的技术。在这篇独家专访中，吉田修平解释了为什么虚拟现实是未来的趋势。

《财富》：在消费者明年试用或购买PlayStation VR之前，你认为三星Gear VR和谷歌Cardboard等已经面世的移动设备，将在普及虚拟现实技术方面产生什么影响？

吉田修平：这些基于移动设备的虚拟现实系统，尤其是Gear VR，是拍摄360度全景视频和照片的优秀产品，可以让用户获得极佳的使用体验，有助于虚拟现实技术触及更大的受众群体。一些移动游戏设计得很好，但跟PS VR、Oculus或Vibe等高端系统相比，它们有很大的局限性。虚拟现实是一种试验性技术，几乎没有人体验过它。这些能够随身携带的移动设备，可以让非专业人员来体验视频或游戏，这是件很棒的事情。

《财富》：在推动用户了解虚拟现实体验的过程中，这项技术还面临着哪些挑战？

吉田修平：这需要时间，不过虚拟现实的体验非常震撼，一旦这些高端消费产品上市，就会有更多人开始在家里使用它。这些人会通过人际网络，让其他人、朋友、家人来试用。就像Oculus和宏达电展示他们的系统一样，我们也在给PS VR做媒体演示，不过一次的受众只有100人到1000人不等。这些最专业、最有影响力的媒体人，也很难用文字描绘自己的体验。所以，宣传这种媒介的最好办法，就是让人们来试用，并在自己的圈子里分享他们的感受。等到明年年底，相关产品全部上市，这种情况可能很快就会出现。希望到时候会有许多人感到兴奋并为此宣传，让更多人来试用它。这种体验很强大，所以我十分乐观。

《财富》：我们看到了许多有关虚拟现实的好莱坞作品和其他360度全景视频。您认为虚拟现实在游戏之外的应用，将在PlayStation VR的生态系统中扮演怎样的角色？

吉田修平：它很重要。我很喜欢360度全景视频和那些娱乐公司和初创公司营造的体验。这些公司清楚地了解这种新媒介的冲击力和能量。观众会感觉他们身处视频拍摄地，而不是远远地在家里的主机旁边观看。这种媒介也能通过游戏之外的途径传播影响。实际上，在许多情况下，这样的体验比单纯的游戏更好，这样广大观众会开始注意到它：“哇，我应当重视它。这不只是一种新的游戏技术。”虚拟现实可以作为一种更好的学习、认识和了解世界的新途径，还有望改善一些人的健康状况。所以，许多人将会看到这项技术的崛起，无论他们是否期待。虚拟现实在游戏以外领域的应用，都会非常有利于所有虚拟现实新产品的推广。

《财富》：虚拟现实将如何给视频游戏市场带来全新类型的游戏？

吉田修平：这是一个全新的媒介，最优秀的虚拟现实游戏可能出现在任何地方，就像游戏在移动设备或Facebook这类新平台涌现一样。在这些新的技术平台上，最成功的游戏公司不会是现有的传统游戏发行商，而是那些花费多年时间、专心用这种新技术开发游戏的小型初创公司。我认为同样的情况也会发生在虚拟现实领域。游戏行业的所有公司可能都会着手开发虚拟现实游戏，但最成功的作品可能出自我们从来没有想过的新厂商，或是一款专注于使用虚拟现实技术创造绝佳体验的新游戏。

《财富》：你如何评价PlayStation VR在这个初期阶段获得的开发商支持？

吉田修平：我很看好虚拟现实。我们看到了那些迫不及待进入这个领域开发游戏的开发者。许多资深开发者组成了小型团队。例如，虚拟现实游戏《石魔》（Golem）开发团队是由创作《光晕》（Halo）的资深专家组成的。还有很多视频游戏厂商也想进入这个领域，尽管很多团队很小，游戏发行的范围也不大，但营造的体验都很出色，因为这些人都有着丰富的经验。（财富中文网）

译者：严匡正

审校：任文科

Sony Computer Entertainment is gearing up for a 2016 launch for its PlayStation VR headset by getting as many people to try it as possible. Sony has over 50 games in development for its first foray into virtual reality.

The company had 49 prototypes available at its recent PlayStation Experience consumer event in San Francisco to let gamers preview upcoming titles like Rigs: Mechanized Combat League, Battlezone, and Harmonix Music VR.

Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony’s Worldwide Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., is bullish on virtual reality. He sees nothing but opportunity, as long as consumers can try it for themselves. Trial will play a key role as Sony SNE markets PS VR to its global audience of over 30 million PlayStation 4 gamers. But virtual reality is not just for games. Yoshida explains why virtual reality is the future in this exclusive interview.

Fortune: What impact do you feel early mobile devices like Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard will have on introducing consumers to VR before being able to try or buy a PlayStation VR next year?

Shuhei Yoshida: In order to reach out to a broader audience, these mobile-based VR systems—especially the Gear VR—is such a great system to handle the 360-degree video and photos, so that people will have a great experience using these systems. Some of the mobile games are well-designed, even though it’s much more limited compared to high-end systems like PS VR or Oculus or the Vibe. VR is such an experiential system and few people have experienced this before, so it’s great to have these mobile systems that people can carry around and very easily hand to people who are not dedicated tech people to experience video or games.

What challenges does virtual reality open up in getting consumers to understand what the experience is?

It’s going to take time, but the experience is such an impactful one that once one of these high-end systems has a consumer product on the market, a lot more people will start using them at home. There will be a network of these people letting other people, friends, and families, try them at their homes. We’ve been doing the PS VR press demos, as Oculus and HTC have been demoing their systems, but just to 100 to 1,000 people at one time. But even though they are the most dedicated and influential people, they have a difficult time writing about these new experiences. So the best way to spread this new medium is to have people try it and talk about their experiences in their own world. That will hopefully happen very quickly by the end of next year once everything is on the market. Hopefully, lots of people will get excited and spread the word and get other people to try it. I’m optimistic because of the power of the experience.

We’ve seen a lot of Hollywood and other 360-degree video content in the works for VR. What role do you feel nongaming virtual reality will play in the PlayStation VR ecosystem?

It’s going to be very important. I’m a huge fan of the 360-degree videos and experiences that those entertainment companies and new startups are producing. They clearly understand the impact and the power of this new medium. People feel like they are in these experiences at the places that the video was shot instead of watching it remotely from within their console at home. The power of these mediums can be communicated in nongaming form. And actually in many cases it’s better to have these experiences, rather than just games, so that the mass audience will start to notice that, “Wow, this is something that I should be checking out. This is way more than the new form of gaming.” VR could be the new form of learning, or knowing, or understanding the world better. And hopefully VR will improve some people’s health as well. So a lot of people will start to see this tech show up, whether they are looking for it or not. These nongaming applications will play a huge role to help promote all new VR systems.

How might virtual reality introduce brand new gaming genres to the video game market?

It’s a completely new medium and the best of VR games will come out of nowhere, just as games on mobile or other new platforms like Facebook emerged. The most successful game companies on these new technology platforms were not established conventional game publishers, but small startups that spent many years focused on making games on this new tech. I expect the same will happen with VR. Hopefully, all of the game industry will develop on this new tech, but the most successful titles will be something that we never thought of in a new IP or a new game that’s focused on great experiences using VR tech.

What are your thoughts on the developer support behind PlayStation VR at this early stage?

I believe in VR. We’re seeing developers who couldn’t wait to jump on this to create games. What we’re seeing is smaller teams comprised of very experienced developers. For example, the team behind Golem is comprised of veterans who createdHalo. Many others who were making video games really wanted to do this for the longest time, so even though many teams are small and the game might be in a smaller scope, the quality of the experience is great because these people are very experienced developers.